Fort Augustus is the village at the south-west end of Loch Ness, 19 miles (27 minutes) from Drumnadrochit and about 50 minutes from Inverness. Its centre is a staircase of five Caledonian Canal locks. You can watch boats climb them, walk to the lochside viewpoint, take a cruise from the canalside and see the former abbey.
Fort Augustus is the village at the south-west end of Loch Ness, where the Caledonian Canal meets the loch. It is about 19 miles (27 minutes) down the A82 from Drumnadrochit and about 50 minutes from Inverness. The things to do in Fort Augustus are close together: watch boats climb the five canal locks, walk to the Loch Ness viewpoint at the shore, take a cruise from the canalside and look at the former abbey. An hour covers the locks and the view; add a cruise and lunch and it is half a day.
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Drive from Drumnadrochit | 18.9 miles, about 27 minutes |
| Drive from Inverness | 33.5 miles, about 50 minutes |
| Coach | Citylink 919, about 1 hour 9 minutes from Inverness, 34 minutes from Drumnadrochit |
| Cruise Loch Ness, Daily Discovery | About 50 minutes; adult £22, child £15, family £70 |
| Parking | The Riggs, village centre (pay and display proposed in the council’s 2026 parking order; tariff not confirmed); Bunoich, free |
| Locks | Free to watch |
Checked October 2026. Drive times by OSRM routing; coach times from the October 2026 timetable data on bustimes.org.
The Caledonian Canal runs about 60 miles from Inverness to Corpach near Fort William, and only about a third of it is dug channel; the rest is lochs. At Fort Augustus it climbs out of Loch Ness through a staircase of five locks, each one opening straight into the next, up the middle of the village.
Scottish Canals staff say 30 to 40 boats can pass in a day and a boat takes 45 to 90 minutes to get through the flight. That makes the locks a slow, easy thing to watch, as boats move up or down a lock at a time with their crews walking alongside on ropes. The A82 crosses the canal on a swing bridge at the foot of the flight. Summer is the busiest season. The Caledonian Canal guide covers the rest of the route, including Neptune’s Staircase near Fort William.
Beside the locks, Scottish Canals runs the Caledonian Canal Centre, with displays on the canal’s history, Scottish gifts and food. Opening hours were not published when checked.
Loch Ness View Point is the free lochside spot at the southern tip of the loch, where the canal enters it. From the canal bridge in the centre it is a short, signposted walk down to the shore, and from there the whole length of Loch Ness runs away north-east. It is a quick stop rather than a destination.
If you have a car, the higher view is the Suidhe viewpoint on the B862, the old military road on the east side. Visit Inverness Loch Ness describes a 360-degree view from the top, close to Loch Tarff. Parking there is limited.
Cruise Loch Ness has sailed from Canalside since 1968. Its Daily Discovery trip lasts about 50 minutes, passes Cherry Island (a crannog, the loch’s only island) with views back to the abbey, with live sonar images on screens around the boat. It runs daily from April to October and twice a day in winter. The faster Loch Ness Quest goes out for 60 or 90 minutes, and the 90-minute version runs all the way to Urquhart Castle. The Loch Ness cruise guide compares it with the boats from Drumnadrochit and Jacobite’s piers near Inverness.
Before the fort, the place was Cille Chuimein, after St Cummein of Iona’s church. After the 1715 Jacobite rising General Wade built a fort here between 1729 and 1742 and named it after Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, the duke later blamed for the harsh repression of the Highlands after Culloden. The Jacobites besieged and took it in early 1746.
In 1876 the site passed to the Benedictines, who built Fort Augustus Abbey over the fort and later ran a school. The school closed in 1993 and the monks left in 1998. Parts of the old abbey are now self-catering accommodation, so you see it from the canal and the loch rather than going inside. For the battle that ended the rising, see Culloden Battlefield.
By car: the A82 from Inverness runs along the west shore through Drumnadrochit and Invermoriston; from Drumnadrochit allow 27 minutes, more in summer traffic. Cruise Loch Ness points drivers to the main car park in the village centre, next to the petrol station, a five-minute walk from the boats.
By coach: the Citylink 919 between Inverness and Fort William stops at Fort Augustus, as well as Urquhart Castle and Drumnadrochit. Check times with Citylink before you travel.
On a day tour: several coach days from Edinburgh and Glasgow use Fort Augustus as their Loch Ness stop. The cheapest Edinburgh option stops here unless you book its Castle and Cruise version, and the two Glasgow tours stop here too, with a cruise as an optional extra. If seeing Urquhart Castle matters, check which version you are booking, or see Loch Ness tours and Edinburgh to Loch Ness.
Two places stand out for different budgets. The Lovat is the upmarket choice, with a restaurant and bar and AA and Michelin recognition shown on its own site; its Booking.com listing was not bookable when checked, so book direct. Morag’s Lodge is a hostel affiliated to Hostelling Scotland, open all year, with private and family rooms and free parking.
Fort Augustus suits canal and Great Glen Way walkers and anyone driving on to Fort William. For Urquhart Castle and the cruises from Urquhart Bay, Drumnadrochit puts you 2 miles from the castle. The where to stay at Loch Ness guide compares the villages.
12.5 hours
The cheapest Edinburgh day to the loch, with Glencoe and Highland cows; book the Castle & Cruise version (not daily) if you want Urquhart Castle, otherwise the stop is Fort Augustus.
from$59
Check availability11.5 hours
A Glasgow day with Luss, a Glencoe photo stop and two hours in Fort Augustus at the foot of the loch, where a cruise is an optional extra, before a Highland cow stop in Perthshire.
from$80
Check availability11.5 hours
A long coach day from Glasgow past Loch Lomond, Glencoe and Fort William to the south end of Loch Ness at Fort Augustus, with an optional cruise.
from$83
Check availability7 hours
A full lap of Loch Ness by minibus via Dores, the Falls of Foyers, Fort Augustus and Invermoriston, ending with Urquhart Castle entry and an hour-long cruise.
from$109
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Its canal locks. The Caledonian Canal climbs out of Loch Ness through a staircase of five locks in the middle of the village, and watching boats work through them is the main free attraction. The village is also known for its 18th-century government fort, later rebuilt as a Benedictine abbey, and for cruises on the south end of Loch Ness.
Between 45 and 90 minutes for the flight of five, according to Scottish Canals staff, who say 30 to 40 boats can pass in a day. Boats go up or down in groups, so if you want to watch a full passage, arrive when a group is waiting at the bottom by the swing bridge or at the top of the flight.
Loch Ness View Point is at the southern tip of the loch, where the canal meets Loch Ness, a short walk from the canal bridge in the village centre. It is free and on the shore, and it looks north-east up the loch. For a higher view, the Suidhe viewpoint is a drive up the B862 towards Foyers, near Loch Tarff.
About 19 miles along the A82, 27 minutes by car without summer traffic. The Citylink 919 coach between Inverness and Fort William links the two in about 34 minutes and also stops at Invermoriston on the way. Inverness to Fort Augustus is about 34 miles, roughly 50 minutes by car or 1 hour 9 minutes on the 919.
Yes. Cruise Loch Ness sails from Canalside in the village, as it has since 1968. Its Daily Discovery trip lasts about 50 minutes and passes Cherry Island, with live sonar on board; adults paid £22 in October 2026. It runs daily from April to October and at 13:00 and 14:00 in winter. Its faster Loch Ness Quest trips run from April to October.
The Caledonian Canal runs about 60 miles from Inverness to Corpach near Fort William, but only 22 miles of it are dug canal; the rest is Loch Ness, Loch Oich and Loch Lochy.
Invermoriston is a small village on the west shore of Loch Ness, 13 miles (19 minutes) south of Drumnadrochit, where the A887 turns west up Glenmoriston, the road towards Skye.
Loch Ness cruises leave from four places: Urquhart Bay in Drumnadrochit, Clansman Harbour 4.4 miles north, Dochgarroch Lock near Inverness, and Fort Augustus at the south end.
The best things to do at Loch Ness are Urquhart Castle, a cruise, The Loch Ness Experience, the Falls of Foyers, Fort Augustus and its canal locks, and Dores Beach.